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PODCAST

The Capitol Forum

The Capitol Forum

Power in Washington isn"t announced — it"s revealed. The Capitol Forum brings you inside the policy discussions and corporate investigations that move markets and shape American life. Listen to Second Request with Teddy Downey for sharp, unfiltered analysis of antitrust policy in America. Then stay for TCF Investigates with Arjun Singh, a narrative documentary series bringing listeners inside the reporting, sources, and regulatory developments shaping markets and corporate strategy.

government

All Episodes

34:53

Xponential Fitness' Predatory Franchise Fiasco

The Capitol Forum ·

2026/02/25

When a Pittsburgh based business owner opened a franchise of one of Xponential Fitness' exercise brands, he had no idea it would end in bankruptcy, intimidation and threats of violence. Today on The Capitol Forum Investigates, investigative correspondent Kim Geiger discusses her multi-year investigation into the company Xponential Fitness, and reveals how they lured franchise owners into a predatory relationship that led multiple franchisees to file for bankruptcy, and has made Xponential

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00:20:44

Will Roblox Survive its Day in Court? (TCF Investigates)

The Capitol Forum ·

2026/02/13

2026 could make or break Roblox. That's because the multi-billion dollar children's video game company is mired in dozens of private lawsuits on top of multiple probes from several state governments, the FTC and the DOJ. In this episode of The Capitol Forum Investigates, reporter Ethan Ehrenhaft sits down with Arjun Singh to talk about the future of Roblox in the wake of major allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse on its platform.Follow The Capitol Forum on Bluesky or Linkedin

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00:37:32

Airlines Know More About You Than You Think (TCF...

The Capitol Forum ·

2026/01/30

Today on The Capitol Forum Investigates, correspondent Krista Brown discusses the use of artificial intelligence in airline pricing, and how it could potentially lead to personalized prices for plane tickets. Aviation expert Bill McGee of the American Economic Liberties Project explains how consolidation in the airline sector has led to price gouging for passengers. Noah Giansiracusa, author of the book Robin Hood Math: Take Control of the Algorithms That Control Your Life explains how companies can

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01:00:32

The Case Against AirBnb (Second Request)

The Capitol Forum ·

2026/01/16

Today on Second Request, Executive Editor Teddy Downey sits down with antitrust expert Hal Singer, who argues why AirBnb is violating antitrust laws, and how enforcement could address distortions in the housing and rental markets. The conversation centers on Singer’s recent article, “The Antitrust Case Against Airbnb,” which analyzes how Airbnb’s “Smart Pricing” algorithm may facilitate price coordination among short-term rental hosts, the broader effects of short-term rental platforms on housing

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01:05:51

How Financial Institutions Became Tools of U.S....

The Capitol Forum ·

2026/01/09

In today's episode of Second Request, Executive Editor Teddy Downey sits down with Graham Steele former former Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and current Academic Fellow at the Rock Center for Corporate Governance. They discuss Steele's recent paper Financial Statecraft and explore the role of financial institutions in American foreign policy, and the tradeoffs for regulation of those industries in the U.S. To learn more about The Capitol

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00:59:43

How Amazon is Capturing Local Government Procurement...

The Capitol Forum ·

2026/01/02

Amazon has inked contracts with local governments, municipalities and school districts that often bypasses the traditional guardrails in the procurement process. In this episode of Second Request, The Capitol Forum's Executive Editor Teddy Downey sits down with Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance about ISLR's recent report "Amazon’s Capture of Local Government Purchasing Is Driving Up Public Costs and Eliminating Competition."To learn more about The Capitol

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00:26:26

Zynex Fought The Capitol Forum and Ended Up Bankrupt...

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/12/31

Zynex was a medical device company on the rise. After experiencing decades of growth, Zynex’s founder Thomas Sandgaard had hopes of becoming a billionaire — until The Capitol Forum revealed how they were fraudulently billing insurers, patients and even the U.S. government for tens of millions of dollars. In this episode of The Capitol Forum Investigates, reporter Michael Williams reveals how Zynex misled customers into entering predatory financial arrangements. He also unpacks Sandgaard’s efforts

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01:06:37

American Electricity's Antitrust Dilemma

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/12/26

In this episode of Second Request, Executive Editor Teddy Downey sits down with Michael Murray, Katherine Wyszkowski, and Daniel Hanley to discuss their recent research about the antitrust risk posed by U.S. electric utilities — especially as it relates to their control over consumer energy‑usage data, potential exclusionary conduct, and the broader consequences for competition, consumers, and market transparency.To learn more about The Capitol Forum click here.

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01:05:02

“Capital Crunch” and the U.S. Housing Supply Crisis...

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/12/19

For decades the amount of small homebuilders in the United States has been dwindling. One reason is the shuttering of local financial networks. Today on Second Request, Executive Editor Teddy Downey sits down with Laurel Kilgour Policy Director at the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP) to discuss the findings of Kilgour's recent report Capital Crunch: How the Fall of Local Finance and the Rise of Shareholder Primacy Warped Single-Family Homebuilding in America — And What to Do About

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01:08:33

How the Meta Decision Changes Antitrust Enforcement

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/12/12

After a federal judge rejected the Federal Trade Commission's argument that Meta has an illegal monopoly in the personal social media market, regulators are debating what the decision means for future enforcement of section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. In this episode of Second Request, Teddy Downey discusses the Meta decision with Joel Thayer, President of the Digital Progress Institute.

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00:57:27

Building the Bottlenecks: The Impact of Homebuilder...

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/12/05

Why is it so expensive to build a house in America? That's a question economists, politicians and pundits have argued at length about, but can't agree on. In today's episode of Second Request, executive editor Teddy Downey sits down with Steven Xiao, Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management and Ph.D candidate Zheng Liu for a robust discussion about how concentration in the homebuilding sector has led to increased costs and prices

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01:03:23

How the Soybean Became a Geopolitical Weapon

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/11/21

Why are American soybean farmers so reliant on Chinese markets?In this episode of Second Request, Teddy Downey sits down with Wall Street Journal reporter Patrick Thomas to discuss how soybeans became the center of a trade war between the U.S. and China. They also discuss how consolidation and monopolization in the food sector have impacted American farmers. To learn more about The Capitol Forum click here. If you have a pitch or tip for a story you think we should investigate contact us

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00:29:32

Is Roblox Safe for Kids?

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/11/18

How did a popular children's game become rife with sexual abuse? In the debut episode of The Capitol Forum Investigates, technology and privacy reporter Ethan Ehrenhaft explains why the video game maker Roblox is mired in dozens of lawsuits related to child safety on their platform, and how an investigation from The Capitol Forum revealed the vast safety flaws on Roblox's platform, which several lawsuits argue enables sexual predators to easily abuse children. To learn more about The Capitol

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01:01:19

The Future of Antitrust Enforcement: A Conversation...

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/11/12

In this episode, Teddy Downey, Executive Editor of The Capitol Forum sits down with Michael Kades, Antitrust Partner at Nachawati Law Group and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Adam Gitlin, Chief of the Antitrust and Nonprofit Enforcement Section at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Together, they will explore how state-level enforcers are shaping the next phase of antitrust policy and what

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01:00:24

Presidential Tariffs and Executive Power: Legal...

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/11/10

In this episode, Teddy Downey sits down with Kathleen Claussen, Professor of Law at Georgetown University, and Beth Baltzan Senior Advisor at The Capitol Forum and former Counselor for Trade and Investment to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, for a discussion on the legality of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

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00:58:42

U.S. v. Google Remedies with John Newman

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/11/10

In this conversation, Professor John Newman, from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, former FTC official and DOJ antitrust trial attorney, shares insights on Judge Amit Mehta’s decision, the specific measures imposed on Google, and what it signals for the future of Big Tech regulation.

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00:43:14

“Mars/Kellanova: EC Leaning Towards Clearing Deal,...

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/11/10

In this episode, Europe Executive Editor Javier Espinoza sits down with Senior Editor Jeff Bliss to discuss his reporting on the European Commission's review of the proposed $36 billion merger between Mars and Kellanova.

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01:01:30

The Antitrust Case Against AI Overviews with Madhavi...

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/11/10

In this episode, we’re joined by Mahdavi Singh Deputy Director of the Thurman Arnold Project and Resident Fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School to discuss how Google's integration of A.I. overviews could extend its search monopoly and the legal arguments that it could violate antitrust law.

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00:54:45

Lower Artificial Intelligence Literacy Predicts...

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/11/10

How does understanding AI change the way we trust it? In this interview with The Capitol Forum’s Executive Editor & CEO, Teddy Downey, Chiara Longoni, Associate Professor of Marketing at Bocconi University and co-author of “Lower Artificial Intelligence Literacy Predicts Greater AI Receptivity,” explains the methodology and surprising findings from her research on AI literacy.

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01:01:35

Price Discrimination Laws—the Dormant Half of Our...

The Capitol Forum ·

2025/08/14

In this Capitol Forum podcast, Executive Editor Teddy Downey speaks with Catherine Simonsen—co-founder of the newly launched Simonson Susman LLP and former FTC antitrust enforcer—about the long-neglected Robinson-Patman Act. Together, they dissect how underenforcement of price discrimination laws has contributed to excessive consolidation, economic rent extraction, and the quiet hollowing-out of American small businesses. Simonson outlines legal strategies to revive these laws and challenge

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